초록 열기/닫기 버튼

This paper examines how the 2008 candlelight protest in South Korea was able to be realized by online-networked citizens in the most powerful and innovative way. A conceptual tool of ‘convergence participation’ is employed in order to understand the dynamic interactions and synergy effects involved within its process of change. We demonstrate that a comprehensive model of ‘convergence’ involving mass media and the Internet, rational and emotional communication, and online and offline activism was vital in stimulating citizen-led mobilization. As the Internet and new media technologies penetrate further into citizens’everyday activities, such a convergence paradigm is expected to become more dynamic and influential.